UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Centre Stage presents "Clybourne Park," by Bruce Norris, Nov. 6–15 at the Penn State Playhouse Theatre.
A spin-off of Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun," this razor-sharp satire takes a jab at race relations, gender roles, and inclusion in a fictional Chicago neighborhood. The play begins in 1959 as a black family moves into a white enclave. Act Two takes us back to the same house in 2009 as gentrification sets in and the roles are reversed. What happens? Find out in the play the Washington Post deemed "one of its feistiest, funniest evenings in years."
For director Steve H. Broadnax III, "Clybourne Park" highlights the importance of community and how essential it is to our well-being.
"Community gives a sense of belonging. It’s our survival," he said. "However there is a possible danger: A community that is safe, comfortable and trusting can be so inducing that individuals can forget about the world outside of their own or regard other communities with prejudices. Humanity is our ultimate community. Everyone plays a vital part. We should all feel a responsibility to what happens to/in our ultimate community."